


What Are Friends For?

by MsFaust



Series: Inky Tales [183]
Category: Bendy and the Ink Machine
Genre: Escape from Hell, Gen, Happy Ending, Joey isn’t evil, Toons and monsters are not human
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-23
Updated: 2018-10-23
Packaged: 2019-08-06 09:51:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 605
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16385729
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MsFaust/pseuds/MsFaust
Summary: Henry was never the type to leave a friend behind, even if it meant entering Hell to save him.





	What Are Friends For?

**Author's Note:**

> As mentioned in the tags, the Toons and monsters are not made from humans.

Henry was no fool. He’d known Joey was most likely to end up in Hell, given all his dabbling in demonic magic. That was what the argument that had caused him to quit had been about. But Joey was his friend, even if he didn’t always make the best decisions.

 

So when he got the cleverly disguised plea for help, he’d immediately come running. And after a long trek through an imitation of the original studio, fighting his way through hordes of demons that tried to pass themselves off as his former coworkers, he’d finally reached the deepest level of Joey’s personal Hell.

 

With the Toons—the real ones, not the demons taking on twisted versions of their forms—at his side, he entered the replica of Joey’s office. Inside, Joey was chained by his hands and feet to what was clearly the heart of the Ink Machine. Above him, a leaking pipe continuously dripped ink onto his body, From the look of pain on Joey’s face, it seemed the ink was acidic in nature, though the acid burns continuously healed.

 

“Who...who’s there?” Joey asked weakly.

 

“It’s us, Joey,” Bendy ran over. “And look who’s here.”

 

Seeing Henry approaching him, hopeful tears sprang to Joey’s eyes. “Henry, is it really you?”

 

“Yes, old friend. Now hold still.”

 

With a few quick swings of his axe, Henry broke the chains, Bendy catching Joey before he could hit the floor.

 

“After all I said to you, you really came to save me?”

 

Henry gave the former director a comforting smile. “Come on, Joey. Did you really think I was going to leave you here all alone? Your time hasn’t even come yet. It’s not too late for you.”

 

Outside, they heard the shrieking of Joey’s demonic jailers approaching. Boris lifted Joey onto his shoulders while Bendy looked under the desk.

 

“Found it!”

 

With the press of a hidden switch, the wall opposite the door slid away to reveal an elevator. Hoisting Bendy on to his back, Henry quickly stepped inside, the others following him. As they shot upwards, they could see an ink web forming on the wall. This time, though, Henry was ready. He reached into his pocket, and pulled out the one thing that could hurt the Ink Demon—a soup can-sized bottle of acetone.

 

“Where did you find that?” Joey asked. “I thought he got rid of them all.”

 

“Maybe he shouldn’t have put them all in one place,” Henry said with a grin as he held the bottle out, emptying its contents onto the monster. With a screech of pain, the Ink Demon let go of the elevator cord, clutching its face as it fell. As soon as it hit the bottom, the other demons were upon him, savagely tearing the no longer invulnerable beast apart.

 

Finally, they reached the top floor, emerging into the hidden room next to the one where the corpse of a Boris clone still lay. The halls were somehow no longer flooded with ink, much to their relief, and the trap door didn’t activate.

 

“Guess Hell knows when it’s beaten,” Henry said. “Come on. Let’s go home.”

 

As the five of them got into Henry’s car, the Toons taking the back seat, Joey smiled weakly at him.

 

“I’m sorry about all those things I said to you, all those years ago. You were right—demonic deals lead to nothing but grief.”

 

“Hey, I’ll forgive you if you’ll forgive me,” Henry told him. “That argument was just as much my fault as yours. Besides, I came back to help you.”

 

“You’re a true friend, Henry. A true friend.”


End file.
